The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) quietly launched one of the most sweeping deregulatory efforts in decades, advancing over 60 proposals that could reshape workplace rules across industries. Overtime and minimum wage exemptions and workplace safety oversight are being attacked.
The regulatory rollbacks are in response to President Trump’s executive order calling for federal agencies to rescind 10 regulations for every new one issued. The DOL Secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, announced the department’s deregulatory efforts would spur job creation and fuel economic opportunity for American workers and businesses.
“The union is very concerned with several of the DOL’s proposals. Workplace safety is one of the most concerning to our members,” said Secretary-Treasurer Sanson.
“I don’t know what this administration is trying to do, but it seems like they want to send workers back to a century ago,” Sanson said. “We have worked too hard and for far too long for the protection of miners.
“Our members work in some of the most dangerous environments and risk their life every day just to make a decent wage to support their families. On top of that, their health is at a much higher risk due to the increased cases
of black lung disease,” Sanson said.
“Now is not the time we ought to be thinking of rolling back protections that have been put in place for the health and safety of American workers,” Sanson said. “We should be moving forward, not backward. We have worked for years to get the silica rule in place and the implementation of that has been paused until August.
“Miners are contracting black lung at an alarming rate and many others have died,” Sanson said. “The union will not sit back and watch our members die. While we don’t yet know the outcome of the proposed deregulations, we
will be prepared to fight any reduction in safety laws that protect our nation’s miners.”
